One of the last surviving ANZAC veterans who fought in the Battle of Crete, Arthur Leggett, has passed away at the age of 106.
A widely respected figure in Perth, Western Australia, Leggett was a passionate advocate for veterans and remained the active President of the Ex-Prisoner of War Association of WA until his death.
Leggett was WA’s oldest surviving Second World War army prisoner of war.
He served with the 2/11th City of Perth Regiment defending the Greek island of Crete when he was captured by the Germans at 22 years of age in 1941. He spent 18 months at a prisoner of war camp in Munich, Italy, before he was moved to work at Polish coal mines.
Leggett was one of thousands of prisoners held in German military camps who was forced to march more than 800km across Europe during one of the worst winters the continent had experienced in 50 years.
Food was scarce and he wasn’t properly fed until they reached Germany, where he was provided food by the International Red Cross.
A familiar and moving presence at ANZAC Day events, Leggett made a lasting impression at the 2022 Fremantle Dockers Len Hall Game, where, aged 103, he read the Ode of Remembrance to a silent Optus Stadium crowd.
His daughter Maureen Rayson paid tribute to her father on ABC Perth saying, he said he was a mess when he got out of the war, but realized he could help other people later in life. He would visit Perth schools to teach students about war.
Minister for Veteran Affairs Matt Keogh paid tribute to Leggett on social media saying he was captured in the same battle in which his great uncle was killed.
“Arthur has spent his later years as an active and spirited member of WA’s veteran community, advocating and fighting every day for a better future for his fellow veterans,” he said.
“Arthur had a great sense of humour and I’m so privileged to have had the opportunity to spend time with him. I’ll always treasure that.
“Arthur, thank you for your service and for your contribution, not just in conflict but in the community.”
The ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) played a significant and heroic role in the Battle of Crete, which took place in May 1941 during World War II. After the fall of mainland Greece to German forces, Allied troops—including many Australians and New Zealanders—retreated to the island of Crete. They joined British, Greek, and other Allied forces to defend the island from an impending German invasion.
Approximately 6,500 Australians and 7,700 New Zealanders were part of the defending Allied forces.
The Battle of Crete will remain forever in military history as the scene of the largest German airborne operation of World War II. In Greek history, it also serves as yet another chapter exemplifying the bravery and ultimate triumph of the Hellenic spirit.
The resistance put up by ANZAC, British forces and the Greek fighters was one of the factors that led to the fatal delay of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. .
